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Step 1
Start with the body. The body of the guitar is the biggest piece. It connects to the neck of the guitar and holds the section of the strings that you typically strum. When you sit down to play the guitar, the guitar body typically rests on your legs.
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Step 2
Look down the neck. The neck is the long, thin portion of the guitar that holds the main section of strings. It also holds the frets–the thin metal strips placed along the neck. The neck of the guitar is also where you place your fingers to make chords.
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Step 3
Check out the headstock. The head of the guitar is also called the "headstock." It is the part of the guitar that attaches to the end of the neck. It holds the bright, silver knobs (tuning pegs) used to tune the guitar.
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Step 4
Glance back at the body to locate the tailpiece and bridge. The tailpiece anchors the strings to the guitar's body. It is located just behind the bridge of the guitar. The bridge also helps hold the strings down to the guitar's body.
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Step 5
Find the pickups. If you're playing an electric guitar, the pickups are located in front of the bridge and beneath the guitar strings. The pickups are essentially magnets surrounded in wires. When the strings move, they stir the pickups' magnetic fields send an impulse to the amplifier. This is how sound moves down the guitar to create music.
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Step 6
Locate the nut. The nut is the small, plastic piece that sits at the end of the guitar's neck. The strings sit in the grooves of the nut and touch the neck of the guitar at that point. The strings also connect to the headstock at the nut.
